The plan was to run Belmont shooter Bret Spaulding off the 3-point line. And for most of the first half, Franklin did just that. Then Spaulding buried an open 3 with five seconds left before the break, and the plan began to unravel.

“I told the kids in the locker room during halftime, ‘We’re going to pay for that, it just woke him up,’ ” Franklin Coach Jim Cilley said. “And we did.”

The awakened Spaulding hit three more from beyond the arc in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 21 points to help the Red Raiders to a 60-48 win at home.

It was the third win in the last four games for Belmont (5-8). Franklin, struggling with personnel losses, has now dropped six straight and falls to 4-9.

The Golden Tornadoes dictated the pace in the opening half with their zone defense and a patient offense. The result was a 10-10 tie at the end of the first quarter and a 23-20 Franklin lead at halftime.

Spaulding quickly went to work on that deficit by hitting two 3-pointers to start the third quarter. Belmont senior Jared Clough also had a big third, scoring eight of his 19 points in the frame. Clough led the Raiders on the glass with 10 rebounds.

By the end of the third, Belmont held a 45-32 lead. But it wasn’t just the points from Spaulding and Clough that made it happen.

“Franklin really controlled the tempo in the first half, they would take 30 or 40 seconds off the clock on most possessions,” Belmont Coach Derek Hamilton said. “But we made some adjustments, went to more full-court pressure and pushed the tempo in the second half.”

Once they went ahead, the Raiders also forced Franklin out of its zone defense. Not only did that give Belmont better scoring opportunities, it also upped the pace another notch.

“We had to get out of our game,” Cilley said.

Seniors Kaleb Brace and Pedro Perez each added nine for the Raiders.

Jake Jameson led Franklin with 17 points. Freshman Dana Bean, who has gained valuable experience in recent weeks, finished with 13, and senior Max Maynard added five points and some composure off the bench.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Winnacunnet 64, Concord 34

The Crimson Tide (2-10) was within five points at the half, but struggled shooting in the second half as Winnacunnet outscored the Tide 27-2 in the third quarter.

The Pride came back from a 12-point deficit to shock Kennett (2-10) as Adam Presutti (eight points) drained a game-winning shot with five seconds on the clock.

“We cranked it up defensively in the second half,” MV coach Sean Young said.

It was that defensive effort that allowed Merrimack Valley (5-7) to get a crucial stop with 22 seconds left and the game tied at 38, which set up Presutti’s shot.

Joey Brochu led the Pride in scoring with 12 points, scoring all of them in the second half. Dylan Baer (seven points) and Ryan Head (five points) also contributed to the offensive output.

John Stark 55, Bishop Brady 46

The Generals used some developing maturity, clutch shooting and active defense (19 turnovers forced) to claim the win at home and improve to 7-4.

“I think we’re growing up a little bit,” Stark Coach Mike Smith said.

Bishop Brady (7-4) held a three-point lead in the fourth, but the Generals maintained their poise, got a pair of timely 3-pointers from Zach Gagnon and Cam Williams, and three clutch free throws down the stretch from Nic Lloyd (team-high 18 points) to seal the win.

Stark senior center Zach Grattan had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, and when he found some foul trouble in the second half, junior Carson Dunn (four points, four rebounds) filled in nicely. Adam Wasiewski added five points and five rebounds for the Generals, and had the assist on Williams’s dagger 3.

Joe Bell led Bishop Brady with 15 points. The 46 points is the second-lowest total of the year for the Giants, who scored just 37 in a loss to Lebanon on Jan. 11.

Coe-Brown 59, St. Thomas 55

Down 14-4 after the first quarter, the Bears offense exploded in the second quarter as they tallied 30 points to get back in the game. St. Thomas (3-8) was leading with two minutes to play, but Coe-Brown (8-3) gained it back and held on for the win.

Chris Laurion finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Eric Rosler also scored 15 points, while Andrew Langdon and Damon Doyle each recorded 11 points and four assists.

Winnisquam 62, Laconia 34

The Sachems (2-11) couldn’t compete with Winnisquam’s press, and the Bears consistently forced turnovers that they converted to points.

Twelve players scored for Winnisquam (5-9). Christian Serrano led the way with 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Parker Normand finished with eight points, six rebounds and three steals.

Campbell 52, Bow 46, OT

The Cougars (10-3) were struggling against Bow’s zone defense in the second half, and held the ball for extended periods of time to avoid turning it over. They were able to force the game into overtime and pull out the win.

Matt Ehrenberg led the way for the Falcons (8-6) with 20 points, while Colby Demarais added 14 points.

Fall Mountain 47, Hillsboro-Deering 28

The Hillcats (4-10) dropped their third straight with the loss at home to the Wildcats (3-9).

Dan Kulbacki had 15 points and Viktor Montanez finished with eight points and four rebounds for H-D, which trailed 24-12 at the half.

Pittsfield 45, Derryfield 42

In a back-and-forth game between two of Division IV’s top teams, the Panthers (11-2) prevailed.

Xenthios Cyr came off the bench to lead Pittsfield with 14 points and five steals. Tyler Booth recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with seven blocks. Chris Perkins chipped in 10 points for the Panthers.

Derryfield falls to 9-4.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Winnacunett 60, Concord 33

Upset-minded Concord used various defensive schemes in the first half to keep the score close, and it trailed only 26-19 at half. The Tide (0-13) could not keep up the defensive intensity in the second half, however, and the Warriors (7-5) were able to establish control on the offensive glass.

Janessa Luciano led all scorers with 19 points. Deb Morrill added six assists to keep Concord’s transition game going, and both Peyton Osgood and Cassidy Emerson contributed seven rebounds apiece. Catherine Monoroe also helped on the boards with six rebounds.

Merrimack Valley 55, Kennett 34

The Pride (6-7) snapped a four-game losing streak at home with this win over the Eagles (10-3). Mary Mullen finished with a game-high 13 points and five assists for MV. Olivia Thurber had 10 points, four assists and four steals, and Molly Mullen added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Jordan Neylon (seven points, nine rebounds) and Jordan Fillion (six points, six assists, three steals) also had productive nights for the Pride. Defensively, MV got solid outings from Emily Mulleavey (five points), Erin Frost and Cassidy Huckins. And Bekka Donovan played well in her return from an ankle injury.

John Stark 36, Manchester West 15

The Generals outscored Manchester West 17-3 in the second quarter, building a lead that the Blue Knights (0-13) weren’t able to overcome.

Becca Titcomb led the way for John Stark (4-9) with a double-double, tallying 18 points, 10 steals and eight rebounds. Hannah Nelson added 10 points.

Coe-Brown 61, St. Thomas 43

The Bears (7-6) trailed by 10 points at halftime but turned thing around in the second half and put the Saints (6-7) away.

“Bench players got us back into the game,” Coe-Brown Coach David Hartnett said.

Winnisquam 45, Laconia 42

The Bears (11-5) trailed 24-21 at halftime, but used a 15-4 run to close out the third and then hung on in a tight fourth quarter to claim a key win against the Sachems (12-3).

Angie Roy finished with 20 points to lead Winnisquam, including 14 in the second half. The junior trio of Hannah Chapin (eight points), Kaylee Howard (seven) and Rachel Willcutt (six) also helped deliver the win.

Franklin 48, Belmont 29

The Golden Tornadoes (5-10) turned up the defensive pressure in the second half to extend a four-point lead to an 11-point advantage (33-22) going into the fourth quarter.

Belmont (2-13) was led by Cassie Contigiani with 12 points. Sophomores Contigiani and Jackelyn Robarge (nine points) each made a trio of 3-pointers for the Red Raiders, while another sophomore, Chayleigh Cadarette, contributed seven points and 13 rebounds.

Fall Mountain 62, Hillsboro-Deering 34

The Hillcats (4-12) fell behind 33-11 at halftime, but despite the lopsided score hung tough and played a respectable and inspired second half.

“The kids did not hang their heads. They played hard in the second half,” said Coach Bill Warnken, who noted that the Wildcats (8-6) had four players taller than 5-foot-11, compared with one on his team.

Paige Vincent and Miranda Dyer shared the team lead in points with 11 apiece.

Bishop Brady 62, Sanborn 29

The Green Giants (13-2) rebounded from a loss with a dominant win over a Sanborn team (1-14) that has lost 14 straight games.

Bishop Brady outscored Sanborn, 25-2, in the second quarter to build a 40-12 lead at halftime.

Taylor Ong led the Giants with 25 points, while Natasha Velez (12 points) and Sarah Thomas (nine) played well.

Hopkinton 55, Kearsarge 30

The Hawks (10-5) already had a sizeable 21-10 lead at halftime before outscoring the Cougars 16-4 in the third.

Junior guard Sabrey Montore had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals to lead the Hawks. Freshman Katlyn Symonds came off the bench and scored 11 points, doing all her damage in the second half, while Brittany Marshall (eight points, four boards, five steals) and Callie Chase (nine points) also had strong games.

Derryfield (6-9) was down by only two points near the end of the second quarter, but the Panthers scored the last eight points of the half and were able to maintain control for the rest of the game.

Brooke Vien led Pittsfield (11-4) in scoring with 12 points. Sage Anthony (11 points) and Bekah Adams (nine points) also made big contributions to the Panther offense. Katie Steeves came off the bench and tallied five points.

Concord Christian 34, Moultonborough 27

Kendra Jarvis had 14 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Lady Kingsmen (5-11) to a road win over Moultonborough (8-7), which has lost three straight games.

Concord Christian led by just a point at halftime, but had more offensive success after halftime against the Panthers’ press defense.

Bishop Brady-Trinity (5-8) played hard on the road against an undefeated Hanover team (14-0). The visitors held Hanover scoreless through the opening period before the Marauders scored a power-play goal early in the second period. The home team then went on to score five more goals in the final period.

Goalies Sarah Plourde and Lauren Owsowitz split time in net and made 27 saves between them for Bishop Brady-Trinity, which had 10 shots on goal.

BOYS’ NORDIC SKIING

Meet in Strafford, Vt.

Lebanon High School hosted a 5K race at Strafford Nordic Center in Strafford, Vt. Matthew Doyle from Merrimack Valley placed third with a time of 10:47 and Warren Bartlett from Bishop Brady placed 13th with a time of 12:13. The field included more than 50 skiers from Souhegan, Hanover, Fall Mountain, Con-Val and Lebanon.